To Fiction, Through History

Dec. 7, 2012 9:22 p.m. ET

Though I've written a number of historical novels, I wouldn't assert that stories grounded in historical fact are the best way for an aspiring novelist to develop his or her talents. But I would say this: Gaining competence in those principles of character and language required for serious, accessible historical prose provides some of the essential tools to write compelling fiction.

This notion is not new. Cervantes would not have been able to give us "Don Quixote" if he had not spent years studying warfare in...